Cool concept arrived will talking to some other business professionals - The Cycles of Service. The one thing that seperates return business and a failed customer.

As industries evolve I’m finding that positions are evolving right along side of them. This isn’t inherently good or bad, it just is. For instance, what used to building managers, now are facility managers. It seems as industries are evolving the level of professionalism is evolving higher than ever. Take the building manager, excellent job, the trusted man who can fix anything. I remember walking behind our fix it man in our schools growing up. The tool bag was a field trip without ever leaving the school.

Fast forward to adulthood, each new job required a skillset I didn’t have before. I imagine it was that way for my admired school building tradespersons (some schools called them Building Engineers, Janitors, etc) The jobs have changed along with the knowledge needs. Systems grew more complicated. Resumes went from “no experience necessary” to “experience needed”. I saw this in the Army too - “go to jail or join the Army” to “highschool graduate and/or college degree needed”.

But why? Have the industries changed that much?

Facility managers have two major functions they provide, the foresight and the for now situational awareness. This comes from experience and book work. Experience will only get your ceiling of employment and bookwork will not gain you respect easily. Both accommodate the needs of the tenant and the facility.

Lets go back to a building manager. From discussing this with others it seems that building managers might have moved up in the ranks from being hired as an entry level position before and moved up through the ranks as someone getting things done. Lights out, call the building manager. Leak in the roof, call the building manager. A goto person for that location, honored and revered by all, and sometimes feared a bit. They were someone you made sure you took care of at the holidays. Gift cards and donuts always went a long way.

We all have a person in our building like this and hopefully they exude professionalism in spades. I bet they can turn a wrench with the best of them. They are usually the first to jump in front of a broke water line and catch the spray right in the face just to shut the valve, or the first to chase the bird out of the office while everyone is screaming. This person holds a spot in our hearts as the knight who fights aging systems and band aided services from running amok.

But we are talking of evolution of our industries here today.

Companies grow and so should our building processionals. Hunting down leaks and fixing/changing ballasts and light bulbs are just the tip of the iceberg to true facility management. That same knight needs to learn to forecast, communicate, track, predict, and organize work in a systematic way to keep that building alive well past the knight either moves on or moves away. Setting up systems to secure a building past the current generation is a challenge and requires skills not normally taught to trades individuals.

The evolution of the building trades has been in a transformation for the last couple of decades. Focusing on growth of the professional and the profession. There are more training programs than ever before, college programs designed for the technician to move to leadership, and inhouse programs at the progressive organizations to secure the future of facilities for tomorrow.

But what of this Cycle of Service?

Identifying the gap between fix it now or fix it for tomorrow and more is the cycle part. Getting the facility to be void of complaints is the service part.

Our whole goal in the facility profession is to allow our tenants to focus on their jobs without a bother of service persons interrupting their days, or our tenants worrying about the leaky roof all day like a water torture device. The gap of fix it now (with a bandaid) to fix it forever takes long term planning, facility assessments, standardization, best practices, business continuity understanding, financial End-of-Life planning, and then the cycle circles back around to long term planning and continues around again. These are the gaps that our leadership needs help with understanding in THEIR language.

Cycle of Service

Notice the Long Term Planning and the Financial EOL Planning meet at the same color as these two sections should compliment each other.

Some business leaders feel these are unnecessary because that means the building/facility professional is not actively wrench bending when he/she/they are planning. And that’s true, to a point. Here is an example to illustrate what facility/building professionals can bring to the table that a leader should consider.

A new carpet needs to be installed, there are two options":

Option #1, cheaper price per square foot, 7-year EOL, and no warranty. Cost/square foot =$10

Option #2, more expensive per square foot, 10-year EOL, and 5-warrenty. Cost/square foot =$13

Space is 1000 square feet. Building is owned by the company and expected to be used for the next 30 years. Initially the building leader says just get the cheaper one and get it in. Now that might solve an immediate problem of a complaining department, but the math doesn’t support the long term plan. After doing a facility assessment you learn this area is used often.

Two scenarios continued -

Option #1, 1000 ft squared X $10 = $10,000 easy to see.

Option #2, 1000 ft squared X $13 = $13,000 not great to see value.

Take it one step further, we need to learn our leaders language. Thinking in terms of business continuity and EOL planning the more expensive option might be the best choice.

Two scenarios continued more -

Option #1, 1000 ft squared X $10 = $10,000 easy to see. However with a 30 year goal the carpet will be replaced 4.2 times and interrupt the tenant 4 times and what consequences will that have. Total spend is $42,000 plus interrupted down time.

Option #2, 1000 ft squared X $13 = $13,000 not great to see value. However with a 30-year goal the carpet will be change 3 times and only interrupt the tenants 3, maybe less as this carpet comes with a warranty which can be used for minor repairs. Total cost $39,000.

A $3,000 savings and less down time for the tenant, which equates to less lost production.

This is the added evolutionary value of the new facility management professionals. Its not to say our past heroes didn’t all do this or know this (the good ones do and did), but this is what is expected of the facility profession now. Learning this cycle of service will effects the longevity of your organization and at the same time help the financial forecast at the same time.

Facility management and really systems management is a favorite topic of mine. Systems can be applied to any and all industries. Below is the link to an awesome book every facility professional should have on their shelf. It can walk you through most situations of applying a system to communicate need to your leaders in their language. Start getting results, get this book.

Description of one of my favorite books.

The wide-ranging umbrella of facility management covers everything from technology systems to disaster recovery planning to zoning compliance...and that's just getting started.

Facilities management is a multidisciplinary function that requires a deep knowledge of the entire business and physical planning cycle. Undoubtedly, the sheer scope of duties requires a far-reaching reference for staying abreast of the latest innovations and best practices. The Facility Management Handbook is the answer.

This guide shares insightful overviews, case studies, and practical guidelines that pave the way for successful planning, budgeting, real estate transactions, construction, emergency preparedness, security, operations, maintenance, and more.

The thoroughly revised fourth edition examines cutting-edge technologies and includes new information on:

  • Building Information Modeling (BIM)

  • Contracting and project management methods

  • FASB and IASB requirements

  • Distributed working

  • Sustainability reporting and more

The Facility Management Handbook is the one-stop resource every facility manager must have to master a broad scope of duties while staying current on innovations and best practices.

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